I find myself looking at the Stewmac catalogue, then being deterred by how much everything costs. Just a few tools can add up to the price of a cheap guitar - or even a decent one. I'm interested to know if anyone has stumbled upon some other options that still work well. I have collected tools over the years from places like eBay and AliExpress, and some are from Stewmac.
I'm thinking that general files are fine (just may take longer in practice) and that proper fret and nut files are worth the spend. I think good precision rulers are worth it.
What things in your opinion shouldn't be skimped on? What have been your good finds and the things that have been really worth their weight in gold?
Essential Repair Tools on a budget
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Zaulkin
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Re: Essential Repair Tools on a budget
stewmac fret files make the job much easier. I can use a triangle file but if it needs speed then their z-files are the biz.
Nut files are, again, something needed if you're planning on doing lots of nuts. I have some hosco which I got from ebay years ago, not a full set but some nice big acoustic ones in there. I bought a new set of Ibanez 10 upwards a few years back from musicworks. Got an acoustic and a light set off trademe a few weeks back for essentially half price and they hadn't been used. At a pinch and if you're doing nuts infrequently, notched feeler gauges can do the job, just grind some teeth into them. Guitar Strings glued to lollipop sticks etc.
I've picked other stuff up from temu/aliexpress over the years that have been worthy - fret rockers etc.
Stuff like straight edges and notched straight edges, I make from 1m steel rules - cheap enough at your local TOOLSHED, then you just notch them with a burr on a rotary tool after you've marked them appropriately.
A lot of the stuff from stewmac is way fucking overpriced and I'll make do where I can. And some of it is inventing tools for issues that don't exist. Feeler guages have a hundred uses, I don't need a $100 USD tool from stewmac to give me the relief on a fretbord for example.
Nut files are, again, something needed if you're planning on doing lots of nuts. I have some hosco which I got from ebay years ago, not a full set but some nice big acoustic ones in there. I bought a new set of Ibanez 10 upwards a few years back from musicworks. Got an acoustic and a light set off trademe a few weeks back for essentially half price and they hadn't been used. At a pinch and if you're doing nuts infrequently, notched feeler gauges can do the job, just grind some teeth into them. Guitar Strings glued to lollipop sticks etc.
I've picked other stuff up from temu/aliexpress over the years that have been worthy - fret rockers etc.
Stuff like straight edges and notched straight edges, I make from 1m steel rules - cheap enough at your local TOOLSHED, then you just notch them with a burr on a rotary tool after you've marked them appropriately.
A lot of the stuff from stewmac is way fucking overpriced and I'll make do where I can. And some of it is inventing tools for issues that don't exist. Feeler guages have a hundred uses, I don't need a $100 USD tool from stewmac to give me the relief on a fretbord for example.
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GrantB
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Re: Essential Repair Tools on a budget
Wot beeg said. I tend to use local hardware alternatives.
Like my nut 90 degree tool is a just an off cut from an aluminium corner extrusion.
Like my nut 90 degree tool is a just an off cut from an aluminium corner extrusion.
"Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible god and destroys a visible nature. Unaware that this nature he's destroying is this god he's worshipping." - Hubert Reeves
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Zaulkin
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Re: Essential Repair Tools on a budget
Yeah I guess that is something I have to keep in mind. I like learning the craft but I don't exactly make heaps of nuts. Same with fretting. Although I guess it's not something you have to do often unless you are working on other people's guitars.